GA SB404

Requires the State Board of Education, in consultation with the Professional Standards Commission, to establish category-level expenditure controls for staff development funds by July 1, 2015, to ensure professional learning aligns with improved student achievement

Expands Quality Basic Education (QBE) Formula professional development funding to include school-level administrators beginning in Fiscal Year 2014, treating them the same as other certificated professional personnel

Reduces the staff development funding percentage from 1.5% to 1.0% of certificated personnel salaries (further dropping to 0.9% beginning in Fiscal Year 2015), while redirecting a portion toward state-wide strategic initiatives

Creates a new code section authorizing the State Board of Education to fund state-wide strategic professional development initiatives—including common core curriculum training, support for under-performing educators, and subject-area mentoring—at 0.15% of certificated salaries in FY 2014 and 0.25% in FY 2015 and beyond, subject to appropriation

Mandates that professional development and in-service programs directly relate to improving student achievement, as reflected in revised certification renewal rules established by the Professional Standards Commission